The goal of a warranty is to assure a quality roof. But the truth is, a warranty never kept a building dry. The best way to keep a roof functional is to be sure it is designed and installed correctly in the first place and then maintained. What does this mean?
First, don’t rely on just the manufacturer’s recommendations to assure that the roof is designed well. Manufacturer specifications and details are generic and may not be applicable to a particular situation. RAMCON can design and get approved specialty details to tackle specific problems and unique conditions.
Second, original installation is the leading factor when it comes to lifetime roof performance and roof service life. It’s vital that the installing contractor be experienced and has a proven track record. You wouldn’t buy milk at half price from a stand at the side of the road would you? Of course not, it’s too risky! The success of your roofing project is equally at risky. Sure, price is important when it comes to your roofing project, but so is expertise, experience and a proven track record of results. We’ve installed more than 37 million square feet of roof in the past decade alone, have the highest quality ratings and we do it a competitive rate.
Third, keep the roof maintained. Get involved with RAMCON’s proactive maintenance programs. Literally thousands of facilities have seen the cost savings that are waiting for them and have acted. Being reactive and responding to issues after they develop is inefficient and damages have already occurred. Give us a call and we’ll show you the math.
Remember, a warranty is a contract, not an insurance policy. It can add value to a roof installation but is not a substitute for proper roof design, competent installation and long term maintenance in assuring a leak-free roof. In the attempt to assure the quality of the roof, a warranty is just another tool that can help or hinder building owners — one on which depends if whether the owner has done their homework.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
It’s Time For Your Semi-Annual Roof Inspections!
The National Roofing Contractors Association recommends inspecting all roofs twice each year, once after the hottest weather and again after the coldest weather. These weather cycles induce the most thermal stresses on roofs and manifest the greatest damage. Roofs should also be inspected after any major weather event, such as high winds or hail. The inspection report should classify distresses as follows:
Damage caused by storms
Warranty repairs
Housekeeping and cleaning
Routine maintenance should be performed regularly, thereby correcting deficiencies disclosed by the inspections. All maintenance and repair work orders and payments should be entered into the client’s database.
Never fear! Our professional technicians will visit your facility and perform our exclusive 20-point inspection to determine the condition of your system.
RAMCON can take care of all of your roofing inspections, repairs and maintenance. Simply call one of our Customer Service Representatives today at 1-877-726-2661 or email info@RAMCONRoofing.com.
Damage caused by storms
Warranty repairs
Housekeeping and cleaning
Routine maintenance should be performed regularly, thereby correcting deficiencies disclosed by the inspections. All maintenance and repair work orders and payments should be entered into the client’s database.
Never fear! Our professional technicians will visit your facility and perform our exclusive 20-point inspection to determine the condition of your system.
RAMCON can take care of all of your roofing inspections, repairs and maintenance. Simply call one of our Customer Service Representatives today at 1-877-726-2661 or email info@RAMCONRoofing.com.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Keep An Eye On Your Roof
Scheduled roof inspections and maintenance are the best ways to avoid the most common roofing problems that facilities executives face, say roofing experts. Roofs should be inspected at least twice a year, in the spring and fall. They should be looked over again after contractors work on the roof or after a hurricane, hail storm, lightning strike, or ice storm.
“Routine maintenance is a good investment,” says Luther Mock, president of the Roof Consultants Institute (RCI), an association of professional roof consultants, architects, and engineers who specialize in roof systems. “It can prolong the life of the roof.”
Scheduling an inspection or maintenance for your roof is as easy as picking up the phone. Simply call RAMCON at (877) 726-2661, speak with one of our customer service representatives. They will gladly schedule your inspection and answer any questions that you may have.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Case Study:They Thought They Knew What They Were Doing
Our “Case Study” reports are designed to illustrate various ways we have helped clients so that you can see the many ways to maximize your resources at RAMCON. All names have been changed to protect confidentiality.
The Case of “Too Good”
A few months back we did an evaluation of a shopping center roof. The roof was approximately 18 years old, while the mall was nearly 40. The large, original, multi-zone HVAC units were rusting through and leaking from general old age. In fact, they were so old that replacement parts were no longer available. The units were being replaced with smaller paired units. The on-site operations manager was specifying a very extensive (and expensive) flashing detail to be used at the new units and to patch the hole where the old unit was removed. The detail being used was terrific and had worked very well….or had it?
The detail being used was a great choice for a roof that was less than five years old. But the roof being tied into was 18 years old, aging and beginning to fail. The “repair” might well last 20 years, but the roof it was attached to sure wouldn’t! The owner was wasting money. After dozens of leaks that the other contractors could not solve due to the flashing tie-in, the manager called RAMCON to take a look. We re-flashed the units with a less expensive flashing detail that cut their cost per changeover in half, while stopping all leaks. The owner spent just $3,400 trying to fix these leaks and more than $7,000 in the original flashing of the units for a total of $11,400. We corrected the problem for just $3,100 with no more leaks; which is less than 1/3 of the cost he actually spent on something that did not work. There have been no leaks throughout the entire summer.
An Important Point
The point we would like to make is that this “mistake” was not being made by “amateurs”. The owner of this strip center has extensive experience with roofs and roofing. The company who installed the units is quite experienced. They thought they knew what they were doing. Unfortunately, they didn’t. They knew how to install a “good detail”. They didn’t know how to install one with “good value” that works in this particular scenario.
Conclusion
It is unusual that an owner would “over specify” a repair. Generally the opposite occurs. But it doesn’t make any difference to us what is going on; if money is being wasted like it was here, we’ll help you find it.
The Case of “Too Good”
A few months back we did an evaluation of a shopping center roof. The roof was approximately 18 years old, while the mall was nearly 40. The large, original, multi-zone HVAC units were rusting through and leaking from general old age. In fact, they were so old that replacement parts were no longer available. The units were being replaced with smaller paired units. The on-site operations manager was specifying a very extensive (and expensive) flashing detail to be used at the new units and to patch the hole where the old unit was removed. The detail being used was terrific and had worked very well….or had it?
The detail being used was a great choice for a roof that was less than five years old. But the roof being tied into was 18 years old, aging and beginning to fail. The “repair” might well last 20 years, but the roof it was attached to sure wouldn’t! The owner was wasting money. After dozens of leaks that the other contractors could not solve due to the flashing tie-in, the manager called RAMCON to take a look. We re-flashed the units with a less expensive flashing detail that cut their cost per changeover in half, while stopping all leaks. The owner spent just $3,400 trying to fix these leaks and more than $7,000 in the original flashing of the units for a total of $11,400. We corrected the problem for just $3,100 with no more leaks; which is less than 1/3 of the cost he actually spent on something that did not work. There have been no leaks throughout the entire summer.
An Important Point
The point we would like to make is that this “mistake” was not being made by “amateurs”. The owner of this strip center has extensive experience with roofs and roofing. The company who installed the units is quite experienced. They thought they knew what they were doing. Unfortunately, they didn’t. They knew how to install a “good detail”. They didn’t know how to install one with “good value” that works in this particular scenario.
Conclusion
It is unusual that an owner would “over specify” a repair. Generally the opposite occurs. But it doesn’t make any difference to us what is going on; if money is being wasted like it was here, we’ll help you find it.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Inheriting A Neglected Roof
If you are a building owner or manager who takes the reins of a facility that’s been neglected, there are 3 important steps to undertake. In trying to transition from a reactive to a proactive system of roof maintenance—where there has been no budget for maintenance and there are too many problems to resolve using corrective action—it is even more important to set priorities and follow a plan to move forward.
Active leaks should be the first priority, since those will likely cause additional damage to a roof system and related areas. Because these priority repairs impact roof conditions and performance, these actions will help protect the current roof from further deterioration and eliminate the majority of active leaks.
Next up is removal of problematic or failing roof areas. You should spend capital dollars where the funds will have the greatest impact, not solely based on the age of a component or other single factor. Removal of failing areas will prevent further spending on repairs that offer a low, or even negative, return on investment.
The final step is to replace aged roof assets, thus reducing or eliminating the reactive and costly spending that often takes place late in the roof life cycle. Timely and systematic replacement of older and weathered assets helps to preserve future capital budgets.
Regardless of what stage of roof maintenance planning you are in, it will always be true that proactive management is a smarter and more cost-effective measure to take than reactive spending. The sooner you can transition from reactive to proactive spending for the roofing system, the better off your facility will be.
Active leaks should be the first priority, since those will likely cause additional damage to a roof system and related areas. Because these priority repairs impact roof conditions and performance, these actions will help protect the current roof from further deterioration and eliminate the majority of active leaks.
Next up is removal of problematic or failing roof areas. You should spend capital dollars where the funds will have the greatest impact, not solely based on the age of a component or other single factor. Removal of failing areas will prevent further spending on repairs that offer a low, or even negative, return on investment.
The final step is to replace aged roof assets, thus reducing or eliminating the reactive and costly spending that often takes place late in the roof life cycle. Timely and systematic replacement of older and weathered assets helps to preserve future capital budgets.
Regardless of what stage of roof maintenance planning you are in, it will always be true that proactive management is a smarter and more cost-effective measure to take than reactive spending. The sooner you can transition from reactive to proactive spending for the roofing system, the better off your facility will be.
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